Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16820 by Susan Deacon on 26 October 2001, whether a timetable has been set for the Scottish Ambulance Service to develop a business case including proposals for the implementation of priority-based dispatch.

Susan Deacon: I understand from the Scottish Ambulance Service that the board is scheduled to consider the full business case for priority-based dispatch at the beginning of 2002. The Executive expects to receive the full business case following that meeting, and will reach a final decision as soon as possible thereafter.

Dental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals for oral cancer surveillance and improved preventative services for the elderly have been developed following its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland .

Susan Deacon: Proposals for oral cancer screening, involving both medical and dental settings, are at an advanced stage and should be submitted to Chief Scientist Office in the near future.

  The Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) Expert Group on the Health of Older People is considering means of improving the oral health of older people as part of a wider health review.

  The sub-group on oral health of the elderly, set up to support implementation of the Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland and linking to the work of the CMO Group, is undertaking a review of the issues relevant to improving the oral health of the elderly.

Dental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has developed proposals with health boards on the fluoridation of the water supply, as outlined in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland .

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18174 on 28 September 2001.

Dental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the proposals for the establishment of drop-in centres in the major cities and the enhanced use of mobile services will be sought, as outlined in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland .

Susan Deacon: The Executive intends to discuss with the relevant NHS Boards/Primary Care Trusts the need for drop-in services in the major cities and specific proposals to respond to those needs. Similar action will be taken in relation to other areas where mobile services would be appropriate.

Dental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the review and promotion of dental access schemes for rural areas, as proposed in its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland .

Susan Deacon: The Executive intends to undertake a Scotland-wide review of the Scottish Dental Access Initiative in the near future to ascertain the effect to date and assist planning for the future. In the meantime, local NHS systems are being encouraged to make full use of the existing support available to increase access to dental services.

Emergency Planning

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funds have been made available to local authorities for emergency planning in the current financial year.

Iain Gray: Funding to local authorities for emergency planning is provided annually through the Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) process.

Emergency Planning

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funds have been made available to local authorities for civil defence measures in order to prepare for potential emergencies following the attack on 11 September 2001.

Iain Gray: Civil Defence Grant to Scottish local authorities which was provided direct from the Executive under the appropriate Scottish Regulations ceased with the signing of the Civil Defence (Grant) (Scotland) Regulations 2001 in March this year. Financial support for local authorities for the emergency planning work which they carry out continues to be provided but is paid, more appropriately (and as requested by the local authorities) through normal GAE mechanisms.

Emergency Planning

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have emergency planning officers in post and how many of these have met with their military liaison officers since 11 September 2001.

Iain Gray: All 32 local authorities have emergency planning officers. Meetings with military liaison officers take place under the auspices of the eight strategic regional emergency planning groups. These groups have been meeting to review local emergency planning arrangements since the events of 11 September.

Emergency Planning

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what emergency planning exercises, other than those involving nuclear scenarios, have taken place in each year since 1990, (b) in what locations any such exercises have taken place, (c) what the purpose of each such exercise was, (d) what organisations took part in each exercise and (e) how many staff were involved in each exercise.

Iain Gray: This information is not held centrally.

Employment

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs will be lost in Ayrshire as a result of the transfer of the BAE SYSTEMS plc Nimrod programme from Prestwick to Chadderton, Greater Manchester.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This remains to be determined by the company. I understand that the transfer of the Nimrod programme may not have any net impact on jobs in Ayrshire since it will allow Prestwick to concentrate on increased work for Airbus and Boeing.

Enterprise

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides to businesses for them to translate sales and marketing material into foreign languages.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Scottish Development International, which is a joint venture between the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise, delivers a Market Access Programme to companies in Scotland. The programme offers support to companies seeking to develop international business opportunities. As part of this programme, assistance is available to companies for initial foreign language interpretation and translation requirements where this is deemed appropriate.

Enterprise

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how Local Enterprise Companies will be covered by the new ethical standards regime.

Peter Peacock: As a result of the review of the Enterprise Network last year, it was announced that Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) would change to wholly owned bodies of Scottish Enterprise (SEn) and Highland and Island Enterprise (HIE) whilst retaining company status.

  SEn and HIE will apply the statutory Code of Conduct to the LECs through their operating contracts and impose uniform standards throughout the network. They could also seek advice from the Standards Commission’s Chief Investigating Officer in the event of a complaint about a LEC member even though the commission would not be able to impose any sanctions, and we will encourage them to do so. SEn and HIE will have the authority to appoint or dismiss LEC members.

European Commission

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any occasions when it has submitted responses to consultation exercises being conducted by the European Commission direct to the commission.

Mr Jack McConnell: On no occasion has the Scottish Executive responded directly to the commission on a formal consultation exercise.

  In association with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Executive did contribute a joint discussion paper in relation to the commission’s debate on governance in advance of its White Paper. The Executive has also directly provided the commission with factual information on numerous occasions.

Fireworks

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many prosecutions there were against suppliers of fireworks in respect of sales to underage children in each of the last five years and (b) how many such prosecutions resulted in a conviction in each year.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not separately identifiable from other crimes relating to the keeping and supply of explosives in the data held centrally.

Fireworks

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many prosecutions there were against persons alleged to have injured others with fireworks in each of the last five years and (b) how many such prosecutions resulted in a conviction in each year.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not available centrally.

Fireworks

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported incidents involving injuries sustained from fireworks in each of the last five years involved (a) minors and (b) adults as (i) the alleged perpetrators and (ii) the victims of the incidents.

Malcolm Chisholm: The age profile of those suffering injuries caused by fireworks, for the last five years is shown in the following table.

  


Age Group (Yrs) 


1996 


1997 


1998 


1999 


2000 




All Ages 
  

83 
  

57 
  

60 
  

82 
  

66 
  



<13 
  

24 
  

23 
  

31 
  

27 
  

28 
  



13-15 
  

23 
  

10 
  

10 
  

15 
  

16 
  



16-20 
  

15 
  

 3 
  

 8 
  

 6 
  

 5 
  



21+ 
  

21 
  

21 
  

11 
  

34 
  

17 
  



  Source: Fireworks Injuries Survey. The annual fireworks injuries survey, carried out by ISD Scotland on behalf of the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), contains information on patients treated at accident and emergency departments or Burns/Plastic Surgery Units in Scotland during the period mid-October to early November, encompassing 5 November.

  It is not possible to provide information about perpetrators and/or victims of these incidents. The data do not allow further disaggregation.

Fireworks

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving injuries sustained from fireworks have occurred (a) prior to 5 November, (b) on 5 November and (c) after 5 November in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of reported injuries prior to, on, and after 5 November, for the past five years is shown in the following table.

  


Date of Injury 


1996 


1997 


1998 


1999 


2000 




Before 5 Nov 
  

41 
  

15 
  

13 
  

15 
  

29 
  



On 5 Nov 
  

25 
  

21 
  

34 
  

38 
  

31 
  



After 5 Nov 
  

17 
  

21 
  

13 
  

29 
  

6 
  



Total 
  

83 
  

57 
  

60 
  

82 
  

66 
  



  Source: Fireworks Injuries Survey. The annual fireworks injuries survey, carried out by ISD Scotland on behalf of the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), contains information on patients treated accident and emergency departments or Burns/Plastic Surgery Units in Scotland during the period mid-October to early November, encompassing 5 November.

Fireworks

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving damage to property caused by fireworks have been reported in each of the last five years.

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many prosecutions there were of persons alleged to have damaged property with fireworks in each of the last five years and (b) how many such prosecutions resulted in a conviction in each year.

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported incidents of damage to property caused by fireworks in each of the last five years involved (a) minors and (b) adults as alleged perpetrators of the incidents.

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of damage to property with fireworks occurred (a) prior to 5 November, (b) on 5 November and (c) after 5 November in each of the last five years.

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of injuries caused by fireworks to (a) domestic pets and (b) other animals were reported in each of the last five years.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally.

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Fife Council can, on grounds of commercial confidentiality, withhold information concerning any rental income it pays in respect of premises sublet from any MSP's constituency office and whether individuals will have the right to access such information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill.

Angus MacKay: Whether Fife Council would decide to release such information, or withhold it on grounds of commercial confidentiality, is a matter for the council.

  The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill would, if enacted, provide individuals with a right of access to information, balanced by provisions intended to ensure that commercially sensitive information is afforded appropriate protection. Consideration of whether information would be disclosed would be made on a case by case basis.

Further Education

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what the agreed allocation of funding for financial years (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2001-02 is for each further education college, (b) what the total debt to be serviced by each college and cost of servicing such debt (i) was for 2000-01 and (ii) will be for 2001-02 and (c) what proportion of each college's grant-in-aid remains after any payments have been made in respect of servicing debts.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The allocation of public funding to individual colleges of further education is a matter for the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. Details of the 2000-01 and 2001-02 grant-in-aid allocation rounds have been made publicly available on the council’s website. The council’s annual reports also contain an overall summary analysed by college of all funding allocations made during a year. The most recently published annual report by the council is that for 1999-2000.

  The details of a college’s indebtedness and the cost and source of funds to service debt will be set out in the audited annual accounts. College accounts for 2000-01 are required to be laid before the Parliament by 30 April 2002, and those for 2001-02 by 30 April 2003.

Health

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make additional finance available to end delayed discharge in the Argyll and Clyde Health Board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive believes that people requiring care should be looked after in the setting most appropriate to their needs. It is important that, where patients remain in NHS hospital beds after clinical decisions have been reached that they are ready for discharge, NHS Boards and Trusts and their local authority planning partners work together to ensure that they move as soon as possible to a more appropriate setting.

  NHS Boards and local authorities have been provided with substantial additional resources in 2000-01 and in 2001-02 to help reduce the number of people experiencing delayed discharge. It is for these organisations to work together to achieve this objective. This applies in Argyll and Clyde NHS Board area as elsewhere.

Homelessness

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19123 by Jackie Baillie on 26 October 2001, what methodology is used in one-night street counts of people sleeping rough in Glasgow.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19123 by Jackie Baillie on 26 October 2001, what the gender and age breakdown was of people sleeping rough in the one-night street counts in Glasgow in each year from 1997 to date.

Jackie Baillie: The current approach to the monitoring of the RSI target is detailed in my reply to question S1W-18044 on 11 September 2001. Full details of the methodology being employed are contained in the report referred to in that reply, which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 15838).

  The gender and age breakdown of the people found to be sleeping rough is also provided in that report at an all Scotland level. The second set of quantitative data was collected in October and the next report will include a breakdown by gender and age at local authority level for both the May and October exercises.

Hospitals

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address any hospital overcrowding resulting from any seasonal increase in illness during the winter.

Susan Deacon: NHSScotland, along with its planning partners in the local authority and voluntary sectors, have prepared robust plans to deal with the increase in hospital and other health care-related activity typically associated with winter. These plans include provision for additional hospital beds and for extra community places where demand justifies this.

  In making these plans, the NHS and its partners have been able to draw on previous experience in managing the effect of winter. They also have available to them substantial additional resources, including a further £11 million specifically for winter announced in mid-September.

Judicial Appointments

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what shrieval appointments have been made in each year since l997 of any individuals known to have been members of (a) the Scottish National Party, (b) the Labour Party, (c) the Conservative and Unionist Party (d) the Liberal Democrats or (e) any other political party.

Iain Gray: This information is not collected from candidates for judicial appointments.

Justice

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3959 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 November 2001, whether it will consider consulting Her Majesty’s Government on the feasibility of deducting fines from benefit in the interest of avoiding custodial sentences.

Iain Gray: The courts may at present apply to the Department for Work and Pensions under the Fines (Deductions from Income Support) Regulations 1992 to allow for a deduction from the personal allowance of a single claimant. Decisions on whether a fine should be repaid in this way, and how much the weekly repayment should be, rest with the Department for Work and Pensions.

Local Government

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Executive, any local authority enterprise company or other agency or public body have instructed (a) Thompsons Solicitors and Solicitor Advocates or (b) Digby Brown Solicitors to carry out legal or other services and what the (i) nature of instruction and (ii) remuneration paid or to be paid was in each case.

Angus MacKay: Neither Thompsons Solicitors and Solicitor Advocates nor Digby Brown Solicitors has been instructed to carry out legal or other services on behalf of the Executive.

  The procurement of legal and other services by local authorities, Local Enterprise Companies and other public bodies is a matter for the individual body concerned and central records are not held by the Executive.

NHS Spending

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what real term increases in NHS spending and planned spending there were in each quarter from November 1998 to date.

Susan Deacon: Information is not available on a quarterly basis. The available information on the resource based Departmental Expenditure Limit at 2000-01 prices is as follows:

  


Year 


Initial plans (£ million) 


Final/current plans (£ million) 


Outturn (£ million) 




2000-01 
  

5,317 
  

5,506 
  

5,362 
  



2001-02 
  

5,755 
  

5,909 
  
 



  The current plans for 2001-02 include the resources allocated to the Scottish Health Budget following the Chancellor’s Budget in March and the end year flexibility funding, which were announced by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001 and 19 September 2001 respectively, and various other transfers which are subject to parliamentary approval in the Autumn Budget Amendment.

  Information on earlier years is not available on a resource basis due to the change from cash to resource based budgeting.

NHS Spending

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what capital baseline for NHS investment was available to it in each quarter from November 1998 to date.

Susan Deacon: Capital investment in NHSScotland continues to increase year on year.

  The resources made available for capital investment in NHSScotland in 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 totalled £138 million, £180 million, £238 million and £285 million respectively.

NHS Spending

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the planned per capita spending in the NHS is for 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Susan Deacon: The planned per capita expenditure in the NHS for 2002-03 and 2003-04 is £1,258 and £1,345 respectively.

NHS Waiting Times

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times were for tonsillectomies at 31 October 2001 at (a) the Royal Alexandria Hospital in Paisley and (b) the Vale of Leven District General Hospital.

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19012 on 8 November 2001.

Police

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost would be of increasing police numbers overall by (a) 500, (b) 1,000, (c) 1,500, (d) 2,000, (e) 2,500 and (f) 3,000, and what the increase in size of each police force would be under an equitable distribution of these increases.

Iain Gray: Estimated figures for the information requested are shown in the following table.

  


Force 


Number of Additional Officers 




Central 
  

23 
  

47 
  

70 
  

94 
  

117 
  

140 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

15 
  

30 
  

44 
  

59 
  

74 
  

89 
  



Fife 
  

28 
  

55 
  

83 
  

110 
  

138 
  

165 
  



Grampian 
  

43 
  

85 
  

128 
  

171 
  

214 
  

257 
  



L&B 
  

91 
  

182 
  

274 
  

365 
  

456 
  

547 
  



Northern 
  

27 
  

54 
  

80 
  

107 
  

134 
  

161 
  



Strathclyde 
  

236 
  

469 
  

705 
  

939 
  

1,173 
  

1,408 
  



Tayside 
  

39 
  

78 
  

116 
  

155 
  

194 
  

233 
  



Total 
  

500 
  

1,000 
  

1,500 
  

2,000 
  

2,500 
  

3,000 
  



Cost (£ million) 
  

12.5 
  

25.0 
  

37.5 
  

50.0 
  

62.5 
  

75.0 
  



  Note:

  The costs involved have been estimated on the basis of £25,000 per head, but this would rise over time and does not include additional items such as training, supervision and equipment.

Police

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers are currently employed in each police force and how many were employed in each force at 31 March and 30 September in each year since 1990.

Iain Gray: The information requested is shown in the following table:

  


As at: 


Central 


Dumfries and Galloway 


Fife 


Grampian 


Lothian and Borders 


Northern 


Strathclyde 


Tayside 


Total 




31/3/90 
  

630 
  

348 
  

755 
  

1,103 
  

2,482 
  

631 
  

6,886 
  

1,012 
  

13,847 
  



30/9/90 
  

642 
  

348 
  

760 
  

1,127 
  

2,477 
  

634 
  

6,835 
  

1,018 
  

13,841 
  



31/3/91 
  

638 
  

360 
  

756 
  

1,137 
  

2,452 
  

629 
  

6,792 
  

1,047 
  

13,811 
  



30/9/91 
  

634 
  

361 
  

767 
  

1,155 
  

2,472 
  

643 
  

6,776 
  

1,032 
  

13,840 
  



31/3/92 
  

645 
  

385 
  

790 
  

1,161 
  

2,534 
  

653 
  

6,763 
  

1,053 
  

13,984 
  



30/9/92 
  

650 
  

384 
  

780 
  

1,178 
  

2,526 
  

654 
  

6,954 
  

1,079 
  

14,205 
  



31/3/93 
  

653 
  

385 
  

790 
  

1,190 
  

2,563 
  

649 
  

6,768 
  

1,097 
  

14,095 
  



30/9/93 
  

649 
  

384 
  

788 
  

1,184 
  

2,542 
  

663 
  

6,778 
  

1,081 
  

14,069 
  



31/3/94 
  

658 
  

386 
  

791 
  

1,193 
  

2,558 
  

658 
  

6,860 
  

1,070 
  

14,174 
  



30/9/94 
  

658 
  

388 
  

785 
  

1,190 
  

2,546 
  

650 
  

6,992 
  

1,078 
  

14,287 
  



31/3/95 
  

656 
  

391 
  

789 
  

1,194 
  

2,539 
  

649 
  

7,014 
  

1,091 
  

14,323 
  



30/9/95 
  

657 
  

391 
  

796 
  

1,181 
  

2,542 
  

656 
  

7,066 
  

1,082 
  

14,371 
  



31/3/96 
  

657 
  

390 
  

790 
  

1,172 
  

2,534 
  

640 
  

7,216 
  

1,113 
  

14,512 
  



30/9/96 
  

659 
  

397 
  

810 
  

1,161 
  

2,609 
  

641 
  

7,208 
  

1,120 
  

14,605 
  



31/3/97 
  

686 
  

412 
  

831 
  

1,173 
  

2,691 
  

649 
  

7,231 
  

1,116 
  

14,789 
  



30/9/97 
  

683 
  

424 
  

845 
  

1,189 
  

2,689 
  

651 
  

7,326 
  

1,126 
  

14,933 
  



31/3/98 
  

703 
  

439 
  

855 
  

1,193 
  

2,691 
  

657 
  

7,299 
  

1,143 
  

14,980 
  



30/9/98 
  

710 
  

445 
  

850 
  

1,214 
  

2,641 
  

659 
  

7,233 
  

1,154 
  

14,906 
  



31/3/99 
  

719 
  

437 
  

846 
  

1,249 
  

2,615 
  

660 
  

7,135 
  

1,149 
  

14,810 
  



30/9/99 
  

709 
  

452 
  

845 
  

1,221 
  

2,586 
  

655 
  

7,069 
  

1,139 
  

14,676 
  



31/3/00 
  

721 
  

451 
  

837 
  

1,215 
  

2,584 
  

653 
  

7,101 
  

1,137 
  

14,699 
  



30/9/00 
  

723 
  

460 
  

848 
  

1,234 
  

2,649 
  

657 
  

7,144 
  

1,155 
  

14,870 
  



31/3/01 
  

733 
  

478 
  

852 
  

1,273 
  

2,670 
  

668 
  

7,318 
  

1,157 
  

15,149 
  



30/9/01 
  

719 
  

474 
  

883 
  

1,274 
  

2646 
  

679 
  

7,298 
  

1,164 
  

15,137

Police

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which departments are currently operating under full strength in each police force and by how many staff they are under strength.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for chief constables to decide on staffing levels of departments within police forces.

Police

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any police forces are currently operating under full strength and, if so, which forces and by how many officers they are under strength.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally. From 1 April 1996 the controls previously exercised by ministers over police force numbers were removed. Since then it has been entirely for chief constables in consultation with police authorities to decide on staffing levels within the resources available to them. The numbers of officers in Scottish forces reached record levels in 2001.

Police

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the budgetary provision is for the employment of police officers both in total and broken down by police force in the current financial year.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally.

Procurator Fiscal Service

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) procurators fiscal and (b) deputy procurators fiscal are currently employed in each sheriffdom and how many were employed in each sheriffdom at 31 March and 30 September in each year since 1990.

Colin Boyd QC: The figures since September 1996 are as shown in the following tables. Records for dates before that are not broken down by sheriffdom. Since many staff are employed part-time, the figures given here are on a whole-time equivalent basis, which represents the most accurate statement of the resource. The figures are, however, "snapshots" of numbers on particular dates and do not necessarily reflect average numbers of staff in post over given periods.

  Procurators Fiscal

  

 

9/96 


3/97 


9/97 


3/98 


9/98 


3/99 


9/99 


3/00 


9/00 


3/01 


9/01 




GHI 
  

12 
  

13 
  

12 
  

12 
  

12 
  

13 
  

12 
  

10 
  

12 
  

12 
  

13 
  



TCF 
  

9 
  

10 
  

10 
  

10 
  

9 
  

9 
  

9 
  

9 
  

9 
  

8 
  

9 
  



L&B 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  

5 
  



NScl 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  

7 
  



SScl 
  

5 
  

6 
  

6 
  

6 
  

5 
  

6 
  

6 
  

6 
  

6 
  

6 
  

6 
  



Glas 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  



  Procurators Fiscal Depute

  

 

9/96 


3/97 


9/97 


3/98 


9/98 


3/99 


9/99 


3/00 


9/00 


3/01 


9/01 




GHI 
  

20 
  

19 
  

18 
  

17 
  

19 
  

19 
  

18 
  

21 
  

24 
  

25 
  

24 
  



TCF 
  

32.9 
  

37.1 
  

36.5 
  

34.5 
  

37.1 
  

38.6 
  

36.4 
  

38.4 
  

46 
  

44.9 
  

48.5 
  



L&B 
  

35.5 
  

33.9 
  

34.7 
  

34.7 
  

36.9 
  

35 
  

37 
  

37.7 
  

40.3 
  

43.1 
  

46.1 
  



NSc 
  

28.4 
  

30 
  

30.1 
  

30.5 
  

28.2 
  

31.2 
  

32.2 
  

33 
  

32.4 
  

34.6 
  

35.6 
  



SSc 
  

36.8 
  

36.9 
  

37.3 
  

38.7 
  

38.4 
  

36.2 
  

40.2 
  

40.7 
  

41.1 
  

40.7 
  

42.3 
  



Glas 
  

66.5 
  

66.5 
  

63.9 
  

60.9 
  

64.3 
  

65.4 
  

64.6 
  

64 
  

67.7 
  

67.8 
  

74.2

Procurator Fiscal Service

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any sheriffdoms currently have a shortfall in the number of (a) procurators fiscal and (b) deputy procurators fiscal and, if so, which sheriffdoms and how large the shortfall is.

Colin Boyd QC: There is no shortfall: all Procurator Fiscal Offices have a procurator fiscal. As at 12 November 2001 there were eight depute fiscal posts vacant. Job offers have been made for these vacancies and the successful applicants will be in post by January 2002.

Procurator Fiscal Service

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the budgetary provision is in the current financial year for the employment of (a) procurators fiscal and (b) deputy procurators fiscal both in total and broken down by each sheriffdom.

Colin Boyd QC: Pay costs in each of the six fiscal areas embrace the cost of all legal staff, precognition officers and support staff. The costs of each category are not separately identified. The revised provisions for pay costs for the current financial year are:

  


Grampian, Highland and Islands 
  

£3,123,000 
  



Tayside, Central and Fife 
  

£4,856,000 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

£4,570,000 
  



Glasgow 
  

£7,525,000 
  



North Strathclyde 
  

£3,762,000 
  



South Strathclyde 
  

£4,165,000

Procurator Fiscal Service

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs would be of increasing (a) procurator fiscal and (b) deputy procurator fiscal numbers overall by (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 30, (iv) 40 and (v) 50 and what the increase in numbers would be in each sheriffdom under an equitable distribution of these increases.

Colin Boyd QC: There are 49 Fiscal offices in Scotland. Each of these is headed by a single procurator fiscal who holds a commission from the Lord Advocate. All of these appointments are made from within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The salary and associated employment costs of these procurators fiscal varies according to the grading of the post and the experience and personal performance of the post holder. The average total employment costs per procurator fiscal at the level of regional office (of which there are six) is £100,000; at the upper level office (of which there are 12) is £75,000; at the lower level office (of which there are 26) is £60,000. The depute fiscal grade is the entry grade for those pursuing a legal career in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The average full employment cost of a new depute fiscal is £27,000.

Public Transport

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures exist to guarantee the provision of public transport services when bus companies go into liquidation.

Sarah Boyack: Local public transport authorities are required to secure the provision of public passenger transport services which are not provided on a commercial basis. Where a bus operator goes out of business at short notice local public transport authorities will endeavour to ensure that alternative services are provided, either commercially or by way of subsidy. In such circumstances the authority will work closely with the Traffic Commissioner who has the power to waive standard registration notice periods where that would be in the public interest.

Public Transport

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to guarantee the provision of bus services in Renfrewshire.

Sarah Boyack: I understand that Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) have been working closely with the bus industry and the Traffic Commissioner to ensure that bus services affected when DART Buses went out of business are replaced, either on a commercial basis or with the provision of subsidy. I understand that the vast majority of affected services were replaced at short notice, and with relatively little inconvenience to the public.

Registers of Scotland

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase fees payable to the Registers of Scotland in respect of applications for registration under (a) the Land Register and (b) the General Register of Sasines.

Iain Gray: The fees payable to the Registers of Scotland in respect of such applications and its various information services are the subject of periodic review. The fees applicable to such applications were set in the Fees in the Registers of Scotland Order 1995 (SI 1995/1945) on the basis of an ad valorem scale. That scale bases the fee level for recording and registration on the value of the property transaction, thus maintaining such fee levels in line with the property market and inflation.

  The fees for recording, registration and information services were the subject of a consultative review in 1998 which led to the Fees in the Registers of Scotland Amendment Order 1999 (SI 1999/1085). That Order left the ad valorem scale for the recording and registration fees in question unchanged.

  The fees which the agency may charge are set at a level to meet its operating costs, but also to ensure that conveyancing costs in Scotland are kept as low as possible. This policy is consistent with section 25 of the Land Registers (Scotland) Act 1868 which requires that the amount of fees payable shall not be greater than is reasonably sufficient for defraying the expenses of the Registers of Scotland, including the expenses of the improvement of the systems of registration and recording.

Road Safety

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to review safety on the A90 at Friarton Bridge following the recent fatal accident there.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive’s Accident Investigation and Prevention Unit will meet with Tayside Police to determine the circumstances of the accident and consider whether immediate remedial measures need to be undertaken.

Roads

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the request from Aberdeenshire Council to stop-up the right of way at Philorth Avenue/Witchhill Road, Fraserburgh, which was submitted on 8 May 2000, and whether there are any plans to hold a local inquiry into this matter.

Sarah Boyack: Aberdeenshire Council advertised the Aberdeenshire Council (Philorth Avenue, Fraserburgh) Stopping Up Order 2000 on 10 September 1999. There were sustained objections to the Order and in May 2000 it was passed to Scottish ministers for consideration.

  The Order was promoted under section 68(1) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. To stop up a road under section 68(1) the council must demonstrate that the road is either "dangerous" or "unnecessary". There has been correspondence on this matter between the council and the Executive since May 2000 and currently we await further information from the council.

  At this stage, it is not known whether or not a Public Local Inquiry would be an appropriate means to resolve this Order.

School Meals

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to enable parents concerned about the nutritional content of their children’s school meals to find out exactly what is provided.

Mr Jack McConnell: The primary responsibility for the quality of school meals rests with authorities. Parents concerned about the nutritional content of school meals should in the first instance raise their concerns with the head teacher. School Boards and Parent Teacher Associations may also be prepared to assist in ensuring that the parent's concerns are addressed. In addition, parents can raise their concerns directly with the local authority.

  Direct responsibility for the safety of food served in schools rests with the environmental health department of each local authority. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Scotland monitors the work of the food enforcement authorities to ensure that they are implementing the relevant food safety legislation within all registered food premises within their council area. Were there to be evidence that food safety had been compromised the FSA would respond quickly and a full investigation, through the local authority enforcement officers, would be carried out.

Scottish Water

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any decision has been made about the location of the headquarters of Scottish Water, and, if so, where that location will be.

Ross Finnie: Following careful consideration of a number of possible sites, ministers have decided that, should Parliament approve the Water Industry (Scotland) Bill, the Headquarters of Scottish Water will be in Castle House, Dunfermline. This currently houses staff of the East of Scotland Water Authority. It is expected that the headquarters function will consist of a small core of around 50 people only, with the vast majority of Scottish Water staff located in other existing water authority premises around the country.

Special Advisers

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs of special advisers to the First Minister were for the financial years 1999-2000 and 2000-01, what the estimated total costs of such advisers are for the financial years 2001-02 and 2002-03 and whether it will provide a breakdown of such costs and estimated costs.

Angus MacKay: The total cost for the financial year 1999-2000 is £398,062 and for 2000-01 it is £560,843. Details are:

  

 

Salary 


ERNIC 


16% Pension Contribution 


Total 




1999-2000 
  

£310,530 
  

£37,847 
  

£49,685 
  

£398,062 
  



2000-01 
  

£440,884 
  

£49,842 
  

£70,117 
  

£560,843 
  



  It is not possible to estimate the total costs for the years 2001-02 and 2002-03 as the number of special advisers in post from time to time is a matter for the First Minister.